This film is an interesting idea, and worthwhile merely for that.
I've read the 10 star reviews, and I didn't find this film life changing, and I don't want to watch it a million times to discover all the layers. At first I was more on the side of the 1 star reviewers. I didn't know how many layers this emperors clothes had, but I couldn't see them. At first Andre speaks eloquently and charmingly, and appears self deprecating, and Wally seems a patsy. I couldn't decide if Wally was supposed to be pretending to be interested in what Andre was saying, asking questions simply to make the time pass, as he promised in the beginning, or whether Wallace was just a bad actor. Perhaps it was both.
But I watched it all the way through, and it was worth seeing. The film is smart, smart enough to make those wanting to believe in their own profundity think there is something existential and paradoxical here. But it's not that smart. Wally's soliloquy at the beginning seems like it's trying too hard. I'm charitable enough not to believe that the makers are trying to trick us with pseudo philosophy and cleverness, nor that they really think they're being super clever. I think it is nothing more than a kind of High Dynamic Range picture of a conversation between two people, of two characters. The characters are interesting, and the stories engaging. As the film goes on, they become more real. I found myself having more sympathy with Wally, but both characters have believable strengths and weaknesses. While nothing appears to happen, towards the end something is happening, and I even felt a little moved.
I've read the 10 star reviews, and I didn't find this film life changing, and I don't want to watch it a million times to discover all the layers. At first I was more on the side of the 1 star reviewers. I didn't know how many layers this emperors clothes had, but I couldn't see them. At first Andre speaks eloquently and charmingly, and appears self deprecating, and Wally seems a patsy. I couldn't decide if Wally was supposed to be pretending to be interested in what Andre was saying, asking questions simply to make the time pass, as he promised in the beginning, or whether Wallace was just a bad actor. Perhaps it was both.
But I watched it all the way through, and it was worth seeing. The film is smart, smart enough to make those wanting to believe in their own profundity think there is something existential and paradoxical here. But it's not that smart. Wally's soliloquy at the beginning seems like it's trying too hard. I'm charitable enough not to believe that the makers are trying to trick us with pseudo philosophy and cleverness, nor that they really think they're being super clever. I think it is nothing more than a kind of High Dynamic Range picture of a conversation between two people, of two characters. The characters are interesting, and the stories engaging. As the film goes on, they become more real. I found myself having more sympathy with Wally, but both characters have believable strengths and weaknesses. While nothing appears to happen, towards the end something is happening, and I even felt a little moved.
Tell Your Friends